Letters to the Editor for Nov. 2

One of my life missions is to make a difference in the lives of children and young adults. Here in the Gorge, so many children are struggling and I wish I could fill all of their needs. Every child deserves a safe, loving, and permanent home.

One important way I do help children is by serving on the board of directors for Columbia Gorge CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). CASA advocates make a huge difference in the lives of children in foster care and the passion that the advocates and staff have for these kids is an inspiration. I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful organization.

As a board member I help to maintain a thriving organization so that we can recruit and support enough volunteers so every child in foster care can have a CASA advocating on their behalf. Our whole community benefits from these efforts.

CASA is looking for a few engaged and committed individuals to join the board and I passionately encourage others in my community to consider this opportunity. By giving just a few hours of your time and talent per month, you can help make a difference in the lives of foster kids.

Applications are available at gorgecasa.org or via email at execdir@gorgecasa.org.

Julie Nygaard

The Dalles

Juxtaposition

The editorial page of Oct. 23 included a very revealing scenario of the political climate of the day.

A lady, in a letter to the editor (“Say it ain’t so, Greg”), recounted in detail, a recent experience with our elected congressional representative, in which she felt deceived by him, and questioned his honesty.

An op-ed writer, who was identified as speaking on behalf of the Hood River County Republican Central Committee, accepted and defended this chicanery with glib and over-used sound bites (“Another voice”).

We should expect much more from those we elect to represent us, but it has been stated in numerous ways, this dysfunctional Congress is nothing more than a mirror image of the electorate.

‘Nuf said!

Karl Kment

Redmond

Safety first

Parents giving their kids a toy gun need to educate them to the fact: You point a gun at anyone, you may get shot, especially a law enforcement officer.

These bleeding hearts who think an officer must make sure a gun is real or a toy before defending him or herself is insane; they are under fire 24/7.

Go to a toy store and look: If I were pointing one at you, could you tell before I shoot you? I think not.

If we are going to require an officer to wait until fired upon we had better be prepared to pay them a whole lot more or go without and protect ourselves.

I support officers protecting themselves first so they can then protect us.

Jim Burdick

Parkdale

Kick his can

Rep. Walden voted to shut the government down; this has cost the taxpayers $25,000,000,000 and counting. He voted for it because he did not like the ACA (Obamacare), though he has not explained what part he did not like; was it one of following?

Extending health care for children to the age of 25 on their parents’ policy.

Reining in the excess profits of insurance companies and returning some of the profits to the rate payers.

Allowing people with pre-existing conditions to get insurance.

Reining in the snake oil health insurance companies, and make them provide what they say they are going to. (This provision is why some companies are no longer writing insurance.)

Closing the donut hole in Medicare.

Did not want the 10,000-plus people in Oregon who signed up for insurance under the ACA in the first couple of weeks to get insurance.

Making people who only use the emergency room for their health care to share some of the expense and end the subsidy that the insured have to pay in today’s environment.

Reduce the insurance rates for the majority of people as per preliminary studies. (Yes, you can find some examples in the Oregon rates such as a increase of premiums for a single 40-year-old of 22 percent, but this does not reflect that he will have increased coverage and how much it would increase without ACA.)

Reduce the deficit by $100,000,000,000 over 10 years as per OMB.

Walden also noted that he voted against raising the debt limit because he did not want to “kick the can down the road.” In other words, he did not want to pay the debt from the run-up of the deficit during the eight years of the Bush administration, when there was not a spending bill that Walden did not like and vote for.

He also wanted to stop Social Security and veterans payments, place the world economy into a meltdown. This could have removed the U.S. dollar from the world standard and increased the deficit beyond any speculations.

Don’t you think that in the next election, it will be time to “kick Walden’s can down the road”?

Don Olson

Hood River

Take a stand

The Oct. 23 Hood River News has two rational, well-thought-out letters to the editor, one criticizing Rep. Walden for voting against a budget settlement and the other praising him for voting for it later.

Meanwhile, we get another editorial supporting fire safety. Or was it driver safety? Or pedestrian safety?

They’re all important matters, but once in a while it would be nice if we got editorials taking reasoned stands on important local, state and national issues. It might even stimulate further political involvement.

And, in that there is no other local newspaper, I don’t think the publisher need really worry about losing many subscribers. In fact, it might encourage more subscribers — and voters.